Attachment for vacuum cleaners



g- 1951 c. H. M FARLAND ET AL 2,563,541

7 ATTACHMENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed Dec. 1, 1948 Z/ {T I I INVENTOR22 a les H. MacFar-land fi 4. Ni s II- Hamrnink 20 BY v'a/M ATTORNEYSPatented Aug. 7, 1951 ATTACHMENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Charles H.MacFarland, Cleveland, and Niles H. Hammink, Rocky River, Ohio,assignors to The Scott & Fetzer Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application December 1, 1948, Serial No. 62,824

Claims. 1

This invention relates to attachments for vacuum cleaners and moreparticularly to a power tool attachment, and has for its object toutilize the motor of the cleaner for driving the tool and to utilize thesuction and dust collecting mechanism of the cleaner for collecting dustor other loose particles created by the power driven tool.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an attachment of thecharacter referred to which can be quickly and easily attached to ordetached from the fan casing of the vacuum cleaner, and to provide abelt disengaging and retaining device that is operable to disengage thedriving belt of the attachment from the fan shaft and to support thesame in shaft receiving position during periods in which the attachmentis disconnected from the fan casing.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention may be said tocomprise the attachment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings andhereinafter described, together with such variations and modificationsthereof as will be apparent to one skilled in the art to which theinvention pertains.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a vacuum cleaner with the attachment ofthe present invention thereon;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the attachment and aportion of the fan casing taken on the line indicated at 22 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the attachment and a portion of thefan casing, taken on the line indicated at 33 in Fig. l; I

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the attachment disconnected from the vacuumcleaner, a portion of the housing being broken away to show the beltdisengaging and retaining member in belt supporting position.

In the accompanying drawings the attachment of the present invention-isshown applied to a vacuum cleaner of conventional construction that hasa fan casing I carried by a mounting bracket 2 on a wheeled carriage 3.The fan casing I is provided with the usual tangential outlet 4 whichdelivers into a suitable dust collector such as a filter bag, and thefan casing I has a centrally disposed inlet opening 5 in its front facethat has a beveled margin 6 forming a seat to receive the tubularconduit through which air entering the suction nozzle passes to the fancasing.

The vacuum cleaner is of the type in which a suction nozzle isdetachably connected to the fan casing, and the attachment of thepresent invention is designed to replace the suction nozzle. Theattachment has a housing I provided with a tubular rearwardly extendingattaching portion 3 that is adapted to seat on the beveled margin 6 ofthe inlet opening 5. The housing I has a tubular forwardly projectingtool receiving portion 9 that is laterally offset with respect to theattaching portion 8. The housing I also has a rear wall Ii) laterally ofthe attaching portion 8 that is provided with a thickened bearingportion II. Between the bearing portion II and the attaching portion 8the rear wall ID has an integral forwardly projecting arm I2 that has abearing portion I3 at its outer end spaced from the bearing portion IIof the rear wall. A shaft I4 is journaled in the bearing portions II andI3 and has a pulley I5 attached thereto between the bearing portions IIand I3. Outwardly of the bearing portion I3 the shaft I4 has a collar I6fixed thereto and forwardly of the collar I6, the shaft has a threadedend N that is adapted to receive a suitable tool such as a grindingwheel I8. A nut I9 serves to clamp the grinding wheel I8 against thecollar I6. During operation the grinding wheel I8 is driven by thevacuum cleaner motor and a stream of air is continuously drawn throughthe housing I and past the grinding wheel and through the attachingportion 8 into the fan casing to collect in the attached bag any dust orloose particles created by the operation of a grinding Wheel or othertool upon the shaft I4.

The forward end of the tool receiving portion 9 of the housing carries adetachable shield 2|] in the form of a cap provided with a marginalflange 2| that slidably fits upon the tubular portion 9 of the housing.The tubular portion 9 of the housing and a corresponding portion of theshield 20 are cut away at one side to provide a lateral opening 22through which a portion of the periphery of the grinding wheel I8projects. The shield 20 is readily detachable so that other tools may besubstituted for the grinding wheel and if it is unnecessary to have ashield it may be left off.

The power tool attachment of the present invention is designed to bedetachably secured to the fan casing by means of suitable securingdevices such as those normally employed for securing the suction nozzleof a vacuum cleaner to the fan casing.

As herein shown, the mounting bracket 2 is provided on its front facewith lugs 23 which support a horizontal rod 24 a short distancebelow'the inlet opening 5 of the fan casing. The attaching portion 8 ofthe housing has laterally spaced downwardly extending lugs 25 providedon their under sides with recesses 26 adapted to seat upon the rod 24.On the upper side thereof the attaching portion 8 has an upwardlyprojecting flange 21 that is adapted to seat against the front face ofthe fan casing l and the flange 2'! is, engaged by a rotatably mountedlocking cam 28 that is rotatably mounted on the fan casing and providedwith a projecting handle 29 by means of which it'can be'quickly andeasily turned to or from looking position. The shaft 30 of the vacuumcleaner fan projects through the opening 5 and has a belt receivingportion 3! forwardly of the fan casing which normally receives thedriving belt of the rotary brush in the vacuum cleaner nozzle. The shaftI4 is driven by means of a belt 32 running overthe 'pulley i5 and overthe belt receiving portion 3| of the fan shaft 30. Means is provided fordisengaging the belt 32 from the fan shaft 38 to permit removal of theattachment from the fan casing and the belt disengaging device serves toretain the belt 32 in a position such that the fan shaft 30 may bereceived Within it whenever the attachment is reattached to the fancasing. The belt disengaging device is in the form of an arm 33positioned within the belt 32 and alongside the shaft 39. The arm 33 hasa flange 34 at its outer end which is attached by means of a bolt 35 toa pivot member 36 that has a cylindrical portion 31 journaled in a frontwall 38 of the housing 7.

The pivot member 36 has a handle 39 outside the wall 38 by means ofwhich the pivot member '33 and" laterally oifset arm 33 may be swungthrough an arc of substantially 180 from the position shown in Fig. 2where the arm 33 is positioned clear of the belt 32 between the upperand lower runs thereof and between the pulleys l5 and [3, to theposition shown in Fig. 4, where it is upon the opposite side of theshaft 30 and supports the belt 32 out of engagement with the pulleyportion 3! of the shaft 30. The driving belt 32 may be made of materialsufficiently elastic to permit the same to stretch the amount necessaryto permit the shifting of the arm 33 from the position shown in Fig. 2to the position shown in Fig. 4.

In mounting the attachment on a vacuum cleaner the belt supporting arm33 is positioned as shown in Fig. 4, in which position the outer end;portion of the shaft 30 will enter between the upper and lower runs ofthe belt 32 when the tubular attaching portion 8 of the housing is movedinto engagement with the marginal seat 5 of the fan inlet opening. Afterfastening the attachment to the fan casing the arm 33 will be swung tothe position shown in Fig.

-2 to engage the belt 32 with a pulley portion 3| of the fan shaft. Withthe attachment in place the desired tool may be attached to the shaftl4. During operation of the attachment a rapidly moving air stream ismaintained past the periphery of the tool and through the housing i intothe fan casing so that all loose particles 1 parting from the spirit ofthe invention.

What we claim is: a

1. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casingwith a front wall having an inlet opening and a fan shaft that projectsforwardly through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outsidethe casing comprising a housing having forwardly and rearwardlyextending tool receiving and attaching portions that are laterallyoffset, one with respect to the other, and front and rear wallslaterally of said extending portions, said tool receiving portion havingan opening and said housing'providing a passage for air and detritusfrom the tool receiving portion thereof to the fan casing, saidattaching portion being tubular and engageagle with said fan casingaround its inlet opening, means for detachably fastening said inletattaching portion to said casin a bearing member in said housing andspaced from said rear wall, a tool shaft journaled in said rear walland. bearing member and having a tool receiving end portion forwardly ofsaid bearing member and within said tool receiving portion of thehousing, 'a pulley on said tool shaft between said rear wall and saidbearing member, and a belt running upon said pulley and the beltreceiving portion of said fan shaft.

2. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casingwith a front wall having an inlet opening and a fan shaft that projectsforwardly through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outsidethe casing comprising a housing having forwardly and rearwardlyextending tool receiving and attaching portions that are laterallyoffset, one with respect to the other, and front and rear wallslaterally of said extending portions, said tool receiving portion havingan open outer end and said housing providing a passage for air anddetritus from the tool receiving portion thereof to the fan casing, saidattaching portion be I ing tubular and engageable with said fan casingaround its inlet opening, means for detachably fastening said inletattaching portion to said casing, a bearing member in said housin andspaced from said rear wall, a tool shaft journaled in said rear wall andbearing member and having a tool receiving end portion forwardly of saidbearing member and within said tool receiving portion of the housing, apulley on said tool shaft between said rear Wall and said bearingmember, a belt running upon said pulley and the belt receiving portionof said fan shaft, and a shield detachably mounted on said toolreceiving portion of the housing, said shield overlying the open outerend of said tool shaft and partially covering a tool carried by saidshaft.

3. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casingwith a front wall having an inlet opening and a fan shaft that projectsforwardly through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outsidethe casing comprising a l'lOllSillg having forwardly and rearwardlyextending tool receiving and attaching portions that are laterallyoffset, one with respect to the other, and front and rear Wallslaterally of said extending portions, said attaching portion beingtubular and engageable with said fan casing around its inlet opening,means for detachably fastening said inlet attaching portion to saidcasing, a bearing in said rear wall, an arm projecting forwardly fromsaid rear wall between said bearing and said attaching portion, saidarmhaving an outer end portion parallel to said rear wall, a bearing insaid end portion of the arm, a tool shaft journaled in said bearings andhaving a tool receiving end portion forwardly of said arm, a pulley onsaid tool shaft between said rear wall and the forward portion of saidarm, and a belt running upon said pulley and the belt receiving portionof said fan shaft with its upper and lower runs above and below saidarm.

4. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casingwith a front wall having an inlet opening and a fan shaft that projectsforwardly through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outsidethe casing comprising a housing having forwardly and rearwardly extending tool receiving and attaching portions that are laterally offset,one with respect to the other, and front and rear walls laterally ofsaid extending portions, said attaching portion being tubular andengageable with said fan casing around its inlet opening, means fordetachably fastening said inlet attaching portion to said casing, abearing member in said housing and spaced from said rear wall, a toolshaft journaled in said rear wall and bearing member and having a toolreceiving end portion forwardly of said bearing member and within saidtool receiving portion of the housing, a pulley on said tool shaftbetween said rear wall and said bearing member, a belt running upon saidpulley and the belt receiving portion of said fan shaft, and a beltdisengagin and supporting member mounted in said front wall to turnabout an axis that substantially coincides with the axis of the fanshaft and having a laterally offset arm within the belt alongside saidshaft, said arm being movable from a position between the fan shaft andsaid pulley to a position upon the opposite sid of the fan shaft to freethe belt from the fan shaft and to support the same in a position toreceive the fan shaft when said attachment is detached from the fancasing.

5. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casingwith a front wall having an inlet opening and a fan shaft that projectsforwardly through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outsidethe casin comprising a housing having forwardly and rearwardly extendingtool receiving and attaching portions that are laterally offset, onewith respect to the other, and front and rear walls laterally of saidextending portions, said attaching portion being tubular and engageablewith said fan casing around its inlet opening, means for detachablyfastening said inlet attaching portion to said casing, a tool shaft insaid housing parallel to said fan shaft, a pulley on said tool shaft, abelt running on said pulley and on the belt receiving portion of the fanshaft, and a belt disengaging and supporting member mounted in saidfront wall to turn about an axis that substantially coincides with theaxis of the fan shaft and having a laterally offset arm positionedwithin the belt and alongside the fan shaft, said arm being movable froma disengaged position between said shafts to a position on the oppositeside of the fan shaft to disengage the belt from the fan shaft and tosupport the same in position to receive the fan shaft durin periods inwhich the attachment is disconnected from the fan casing.

CHARLES H. MAoFARLAND. N'ILES H. HAMMINlK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,726,592 Spanel Sept. 3, 19291,900,692 Clements Mar. 7, 1933 2,098,147 Hussmann Nov. 2, 19372,166,863 Frame et a1 July 18, 1939 2,338,807 Emery Jan. 11, 1944

